Friday, September 18, 2009

Non-fasters and public break-fast in Ramadan

Nowadays, there’s a great fuss made about the manifestation of a group of non fasters who decided to take their sandwiches and eat them in public during day time in Ramadan 7 hours before sunset, the time of “Ftour” (break fast). Leaded by “Zaineb Al Ghazawi”, the journalist in the weekly magazine "Le Journal Hebdomadaire", the members of a group named itself “Mali” "The Alternative Movement for the Defense of Individual Liberties” decided to eat their sandwiches in public in front of the train station in the city of “Mouhamadeia”. This group said that they took this initiative to show their refusal to the article 222 of the Moroccan Penal Code which penalizes public breakfast in Ramadan. But the local authorities quickly ended the manifestation.

Of course, it’s not the first time that someone do not fast in Ramadan here in Morocco, but what’s new is to invite media to witness public breakfast. For decades, in addition to Jews and Christians who are not obliged to fast, there are also Moroccans who do not fast but no one has ever been penalized. What’s to be respected, at least, is the feelings of this majority of Muslims. I’m not against the idea of not fasting, every one is free to do what he believes in, but he should in turn consider the freedom of others. And when we eat in public, while the majority fast, this is a little bit wired and touches the freedom of this majority.

There are many restaurants opened for non-fasters from foreigners and Moroccans, and everyone could go there and practice his complete freedom without being attacked. Also, no one will get in his home to force him for not eating, so he’s his freedom. But, all this fuss is a little bit far of individual liberties as it seems, but it has some smell of polemic.

6 comments:

  1. The point is that the laws in Morocco are unjust. The laws are redicilous. I am a Haaj. I pray alhamdullah, I do not drink alcohol and ofcourse I fast; but I do not think that a corrupt govt. like the one we have in Morocco has the right to prosecute people for not fasting!!! If foreigners do not have to fast, then Moroccans should not have to fast. If foreigners can drink alcohol, then Moroccans should be able to drink alcohol. For me, this is not about freedom to do something I think is stupid (going to hell for not fasting)!!! For me, this is about getting people to see how redicilous our laws are in Morocco and how until we make the laws logical, morocco will continue to be a backwards 3rd world nation with a despotic autocratic unjust method of governing.

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  2. Glad to have found your blog, Rachid.

    But I agree with the above commenter - the laws should not separate who is Muslim and who is not, nor should it decide for them. I don't think people should eat in public during Ramadan (even tourists!) but they should make that choice out of respect, not because they are forced.

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  3. @ Jillian: I'm it's me who's glad to recieve your comment.

    For me I see that if there's no law, a lot of people will eat in public and of course others won't accept it and there will be more confrontation and clash between fasters and non-fasters. So, it's better to avoid this by this law. But, as I said no one attack people in their houses and in opened restaurants and prevent from eating. So, those non-fasters too should respect those who fast.

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  4. Please, remember to always check your sources before posting anything, specially concerning this kind of matters.
    It's Zineb EL RHAZOUI Not Ghazwi or whatever you said.
    You are jeopardizing and compromising someone else's life by your thoughtless behavior...

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  5. @Amine El said...: her name begins with an alphabet that doesn't exist in Latin languages and it refers to that alphabet by "Gh" wich means "R" in Arabic. So it's you who should correct your knowledge of Arabic language before giving such comments.

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